University of Florida Gators

Stand
back: The Japanese have discovered antibacterial
wipes, said Mihoko Tsukino in Tokyo's Yomiuri
Shimbun. Over the past year or so, "antibacterial
and sterilizing products" have flooded the
stores, until now they are "an inescapable
part of daily life." The Japanese wife of past
decades was content to wipe down surfaces with plain
old soap and water. Now, "deodorizing and sterilizing
goods are to be found in just about every home."
And toilets, even in private residences, come "equipped
with bottom-cleaning sprays" that squirt up
at the user. "Neither men nor women, it seems,
can rest till every last

part
of their home and body is sparkling clean."
The trend is costing Japanese businesses money.
In hotels, where it used to take 10 to 15 minutes
to clean each room, it now takes 30 to 40 minutes.
Every "trace of a previous occupant" must
be removed, down to the last hair or fingerprint.
Many businesses report that their customers increasingly
demand "touchless toilets" with seats
that sail upward at the wave of a hand before a
sensor, and with automatic flushing. Scientists
who study germs, though, tell us not to worry so
much, as most bacteria are harmless. In other words,
while keeping clean is fine, there's no reason to
get "overly obsessed."